Holding Hands with Gwen

Two obsessions: Fall and Yurts

2011-11-14T12:41:00.004-05:00

I love fall and I love talking about yurts. When it came time to plan ONE LAST TRIP WITHOUT BABY OR BEING A PARENT, I knew I wanted a weekend away in the mountains and a yurt seemed like the perfect setting. Since we're on lock down for holiday travel and my sister-in-law has a wonky work schedule, we thought it would be nice to plan a family trip in a some what central location.

The family pack drove in from all parts to Falling Waters for the weekend. The local coyotes must have known they were in for a visit. They welcomed us in on Friday night with late night howls while we were snuggled in our yurt beds. On Saturday morning, the men folk went on a canopy zip line tour while the ladies relaxed in bed and went to Bryson City for a yummy diner breakfast. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city and ended the day with the Tuckaseegee Terror Tales Tour trolley ride in Whitter, NC followed by some campfire fun.

PICTURES

Maternity moments

2011-10-30T19:19:00.003-04:00

It feels like the first three months of my pregnancy went by so slowly and then the next four months sped by and I feel like time is slowing down again. I'm thinking it's because I'm on lock down in the Atlanta area until after the baby arrives.

In late September, my dear friend Maigh consented to taking a Saturday morning out of her busy schedule to shoot some baby belly pictures with me. I love working with her. I feel so comfortable with her and we work really well together if I must say so myself. Here is a link to her photo blog page for a recap of the morning: Shooting Nouns. Oh, and she's not only an incredible photographer, but she's quite the wordsmith as well.

A Perfect Circle

2011-09-22T12:18:00.004-04:00

This week churned up some blasts from the past.

R.E.M. announced that they're breaking up the band and their music defined a good portion of my life. It's the end of an era for sure, but not the End of the World as We Know It. Sticking with the music thread, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind album yet another soundtrack to my youth.

Fifteen years ago, Greg and I went to see Beck with a group of friends in a small venue in Charlotte, NC. We officially started dating after a summer of shenanigans. As Laura mentioned in her toast at our wedding, she remembers me saying that I would marry Greg one day so that I could have curly-headed babies. It looks like my statement is finally coming to fruition...I hope the little one gets his lovely locks.

I thought I would take some time since it's been *six months* since I posted here and circle back before my life continues on in fast forward.

Tomatoes, tattoos and so forth

2011-03-17T15:42:00.003-04:00

When I was seventeen I argued constantly with my father about rules and life decisions, but mainly about my curfew and where I would go to college. As I neared my 18th birthday, I remember writing a list of things I could legally do after turning eighteen and posted them on the fridge. This sparked yet another debate since one of those things was getting a tattoo. My dad told me I was more than welcome to get any tattoo I wanted as long as I got "D A D" tattooed down the bridge of my nose first.

My 18th birthday came and went as did my desire to get a tattoo. I just couldn't seem to find the perfect spot or the perfect image. Until now.

A dear friend, Maigh, has the perfect spot and I'm stealing it. She approved of my copycatting in February when this urge to tattoo myself resurfaced. I told her I knew I wanted something to do with gardening and my love of flora. I let this idea ruminate for a few weeks before it finally hit me when Greg and I were vacationing in Key West (click for trip pictures). A few years ago, I stumbled upon a gardening blog with a tomato vine tattoo and fell in love.

Before I get a phone call from Turk and Doris, I don't want the whole sleeve. I just want a small portion (tomato, blossom and a few leaves) on my wrist that can easily be covered with long sleeves or a cuff bracelet (thanks again, Maigh!). My husband says I have to wait a year before I can get it and if it still stirs me....go for it. Check back in February 2012 for an update.

The last of Italy

2011-02-11T19:03:00.010-05:00

I'm not terribly certain anyone is reading these posts anymore, but I've enjoyed chronicling our trip regardless of that small fact. We left Montepulciano by taxi to Chiusi where we took the train back to Rome. We again stayed close to the train station since we were now more familiar with the area.

Since a good portion of our morning was spent on the train, we decided to see some of the "quick hit" sights in the afternoon. We started with the Cappuchian Crypt since Greg was really into seeing crypts. If you know me at all, you know that this is not my cup of tea....seeing dead monks' bones artfully arranged on the walls and floor. It was a lovely afternoon, so we strolled on over to the Spanish Steps. I'm not certain we saw much of the steps since they were crawling with tourists. Luckily, we were really just en route to the Pantheon yet another amazing Roman structure.

Our last day in Rome is what I would like to call our Catholic Day. We spent the entire day at the Vatican. We arrived to S. Peter's square late in the morning to a mind-boggling crowd to enter the Basilica. Thankfully, it only took 40 minutes to wait, pass through security and enter the Basilica. Wowzers! The place is crazy big with a seven story alter canopy (built on the supposed tomb of St. Peter), Mass occurring in a smaller alcove, dead Popes tucked into nooks, Michelangelo's Pieta statute, St. Peter's kissable toe and the spot where Charlemagne was crowned. After lunch, we were off to the Vatican Museum and four miles of art collected and commissioned by the Church. The museum ends in the Sistine Chapel where we were able to the enjoy the recent (1999) restoration of Michelangelo's frescoes.

Well, that was supposed to be our last day in Rome, but the 2 1/2 hours we allotted to make our flight was not enough. Several hundred dollars later, a night spent in Fuimicino and we were finally off to Atlanta.

PICTURES

Montepulciano

2011-01-31T14:10:00.007-05:00

Our journey into the Tuscan hill country and Montepulciano began as I nervously tried to decipher the Italian bus system. We were certainly venturing into areas that were not as easy to navigate as the previous tourist meccas. The 1:10 bus never arrived and I noticed one other passenger looking annoyed/anxious by this before the next scheduled bus made it to the station. The 2 hour bus trip was stupendous. I'm so thankful that we didn't rent a car so we both could enjoy the fall drive through Tuscany. There was some confusion with our bus driver as to where we wanted to get off the bus. We were hoping to catch a shuttle up the hill since we were warned of the tremendous climb, but he convinced us to disembark early resulting in a strenuous trek to the hotel. When Chizia greeted us, she lamented that we didn't take the shuttle and hurried to grab us water, wine and snacks. The B&B also featured a wine bar and was the most luxurious place we stayed on our trip...even views from the bathroom were spectacular.

Our time in Montepulciano was spent hiking the city streets (no joke), tasting wine and enjoying Tuscan cuisine. Montepulciano is known for its Noble wine variety and most recently as a location for New Moon (see pictures). We wandered the town's wine cellar tunnels and even saw a portion of an Etruscan tomb.

PICTURES

Siena

2011-01-23T20:35:00.007-05:00

We arrived at the Siena bus station amid pouring rain and no map to send us on our merry way to the hotel. We struggled through the wet streets with our luggage and no taxis in sight until we finally happened upon our hotel. After lunch, the rain cleared and we hit the pavement to soak up Siena in a day. We began with the town's Duomo before heading to Il Campo for some people watching. We shared a street pizza and beer on the piazza. Later, we returned to the same area for dinner where we took one of my favorite pictures (me enjoying pasta) and Greg enjoyed his favorite meal.

The following morning, we set out to take some pictures now that the sun was out in full force again. While we were sauntering about the city walls, we decided to pop into the Basilica of San Domenico. Low and behold, this church houses the finger and head, but not the body of St. Catherine of Siena. How's that for a surprise?

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Florence

2011-01-04T21:42:00.007-05:00

Ahhhh, Florence. Our favorite city. Its wide, clean avenues, Renaissance art and fabulous shopping kept both of us happy as we strolled between our villa bed and breakfast and the sights. Our first evening was a bit of a flop due to the language barrier with our hostess...she sent us to a steakhouse for dinner where we quickly gobbled down some pasta dishes before making a run for the door and to a local pub we discovered earlier in the day.

Our big day in Florence began with the Accademia and Michealego's David. INCREDIBLE. I never thought I would be so enamored with a marble statue, but you just can't beat the majesty of David in the morning light. We walked along the Arno River in search of lunch and then back to the Ufizi area for people watching after our tasty meal. Once inside the Ufizi Museum, we spent over two hours looking at Italian masterpieces. A quick gelatto to regain our strength and we were off to see San Croce. Somewhere in there we also popped by Dante's house for a peek.

We stopped by our room to rest and massage our tired feet before heading back into the the heart of Florence for dinner and sights. We woke up early the next morning to score some sweet deals (Italian leather jackets) before heading to the bus station and Siena.

PICTURES

Venice

2010-12-08T10:13:00.012-05:00

We journeyed through the better part of a day and arrived in Venice just as the sun was beginning to set. We hopped on a water taxi towards San Marco and proceeded to get hopelessly lost trying to find our hotel. I think it took an hour for us to find a hotel just a few streets away from the square.

The following day began with church bells ringing and breakfast in bed. We started our sightseeing at Doge's Palace and then headed to the Accademia Bridge area for lunch at a much recommended tapas and wine bar. Luckily, we ran into a fellow American traveller who helped us place our (non-meaty) order and chatted us up a bit. We decided to see some modern art for a change and set our sights for the Peggy Guggenhiem Museum followed by a second lunch along the Grand Canal. Yes, this was about the time in our trip that we began eating four meals a day. On the wandering way back to the hotel, we sample sweets, lattes and found ourselves in a local wine shop offering 3 Euro 1.5 liters of local wine filled in recycled water bottles. We took our water bottle wine back to the room to enjoy before heading out for dinner. Our Naples hotelier recommended a seafood restaurant run by the owner of the Venice fish market so we proceeded to get horribly lost both going to and coming from dinner, but the meal itself was one of the best we enjoyed in Italy.

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Sorrento and Naples

2010-11-05T11:04:00.012-04:00

We overslept in Rome and hurried to start our journey to Sorrento. I managed to correctly order our coffee in broken Italian that morning but ended up with sweets for breakfast instead of croissants. We took the local train to Naples (bad idea...take the Eurostar) and then another local to Sorrento. We stopped in downtown Sorrento before heading up Via del Campo to the hotel. Our room had a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. That evening, we ordered a bottle of Chianti from the bar and sat on the windy lounge balcony sipping wine and watching a fireworks display across the gulf.

We awoke to a sunny view of the gulf and spent the morning wandering the hotel gardens before heading down the hill to Sorrento for window shopping and a winding walk down Via del Mar to the waterfront. We ate a lovely seafood lunch on the water and climbed the stairs along the rock wall, through back alleys and returned to the downtown area. The afternoon brought in some rain so we napped and read at the hotel. After dinner, enjoyed an evening out with locals and tourists at an Irish pub.

The following morning, we enjoyed our the morning in Sorrento before heading to Pompeii on our route to Naples. We spent over four hours walking the ruins at Pompeii. We were both impressed by the city's vast expanse and Mt. Vesuvius in the not-so-distant horizon. In the late afternoon, we headed back to the train and found ourselves in the crazy city of Naples. Paolo, the most gracious host in all of Italy, arranged for a taxi to meet us at the train station and take us to his family home on Vomero Hill. He upgraded us to a suite for our stay and then walked us to dinner where we enjoyed the house speciality pizza. Napoleon pizza in Naples. 'Nuf said.

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Roma: Part One

2010-11-01T08:49:00.006-04:00

We arrived in Rome at seven in the morning and watched the sunrise on the train to the hotel. We began our first of many hunts to find our hotel room and quickly shed our luggage to go and explore ancient Rome. Thanks to our Rick Steve's guidebook, we avoided many a line and our first day was no exception. We bypassed the line at the Colosseum and headed straight to the Palatine Hill and the Forum. Our guidebook didn't provide a lot of insight nor was there much signage explaining what we were seeing on Palatine Hill, so we wandered about aimlessly taking pictures and eavesdropping on tour groups. Once we hit the Forum, our audio guide kicked in and the ruins began to have more significance. Who knew I would actually stand near the spot where Julius Caesar's body was burned?

We were famished and ready to begin our Italian dining adventure. We popped into a cute wine bar and started off with a glass of red wine, marinated artichokes and mushrooms, and pickled onions. We both ordered the vegetable lasagna since we couldn't seem to translate most of the menu even with a menu decoder. I was more impressed with the first course and Greg happily finished off my remaining lasagna remnants.

Off to the Colosseum! We started up our audio tours and settled in to enjoy more history. I'm not sure how long we'd been awake...neither one of us slept much on the plane and it was now late afternoon. At one point, we sat down in the shade and we both started nodding off. It was time to head back to the hotel to shower and take a quick nap before dinner. We were happy to find out that we were upgraded to a suite for the night and took the owner's advice for a pizza dinner at his childhood friend's restaurant.

We wrapped up the evening with a quick stroll to the Trevi fountain, a coin throw to ensure a return to Rome followed by a pistachio gelato. Ah, Roma!

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Bella Italia

2010-08-16T10:42:00.002-04:00

Rome + Sorrento + Naples + Venice + Florence + Siena + Montepulciano (Tuscan Hills) + Rome again = Happy Gwen

Vancouver, I love you so

2010-08-06T11:30:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate enough late last month to go on a business trip to Vancouver, BC. I'm not usually a fan of solo business travel, but both the city of Vancouver and MPI's World Education Conference made up for it.

My first full day in Vancouver was a busy one. The volunteer project hosted through WEC began the day. We took a bus to Vancouver's north shore and learned about the salmon life cycle. We even learned how Vancouver's Convention Center has a fish estuary underneath of it to help the teenage freshwater salmon transition to adult saltwater fish. The second portion of the project took us to Lynn Creek where we spent an hour or so pulling up invasive plants along the creek and pathways. I had the duty of pulling up knotweed which was pretty close to trying to rip up bamboo with your bare hands.

After a quick lunch, I headed for a Historic City Tour again set up through the convention. We toured by bus, trolley, foot and boat through Vancouver's main neighborhoods. The majority of my pictures are from Saturday since the sessions kept me pretty booked.

The opening night welcome party blew my mind. It's been years since I've been to an event of this caliber. They friggin' lit the Olympic cauldron for us! There were performers of all types, a raw seafood bar as well as an excellent selection from the open bar all while we overlooked the Vancouver Harbor. When the party started winding down, I raced a mile and a half down to the Burrard Bridge to see the fireworks over the English Bay. What a day!

The remainder of the visit was spent at incredible educational sessions and networking events. I snuck in a concert one night and even managed to start one day off with a bike ride along the seawall at Stanley Park. It was a great trip and I can't wait to head back with Greg to take advantage of Vancouver's great outdoors.

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Beachy Family Fun Time Haiku

2010-07-21T15:16:00.005-04:00

Gulf summer breezes

White, sandy beaches shine on

Warm, laughter-filled hearts

[pictures]

*********

2010-07-08T12:10:00.007-04:00

June came and went without one post to my little failblog. Winslow was lost, Greg had sinus surgery, Winslow was found and Greg went to the ER for the most massive nosebleed ever. I managed to schedule two girlfriend getaways within days of each other and that's what I'd rather focus on. Shall we?

Trip One:

A co-worker shares my love of horses and bookish things so we hit the road in her sweet MINI Cooper. Our first stop was in Milledgeville, GA at the home of Southern Gothic Queen, Flannery O'Connor. After exploring the property and main level of the family home in the scorching heat, we set our course for a nearby horse ranch/B&B. The B&B was a tad dated, but the ranch itself made up for it with the abundance of baby animals: foals, fawns, gosslings, bunnies and puppies. Seriously. The cute o' meter was on overload. I also managed to fall in love with Madison, GA.

At some point during our planning process, it came to my attention that said co-worker had never been to Charleston. As any good Carolina girl would do, I made sure to include Charleston (specifically Folly Beach) to our road trip. We enjoyed a few days lounging around and we left Folly Beach knowing I would return in 2 days.

Trip Two:

There is a group of women that I exclusively belong to that share for the most part a single defining trait with me. We dated our husbands for at least 10 years before we got married. I call them the Greenville Girls and we had our first girls only weekend in Charleston this June. The highlight of the weekend by far was the Palmetto Ski and Outing/Greater Charleston Ski Club joint beach party on Folly Beach. We were the youngest *adults* by a good 20-25 years, but these people know how to throw a party! It rekindled my love for beach music after watching couples shagging on the beach. The dance, people. Add to that, a charming gentleman (probably close to my grandparents age) mingling among the beach umbrellas with shots of Almond Joy or Jell-O shooters from giant syringe. We ended the day watching a wedding on the beach topped off by a dinner of local seafood at Bowens Island. Well played, ladies.

Click for pictures and one quick video.

My favorite recent purchase

2010-05-26T17:47:00.002-04:00

Just in time for berry season!!

Year Two of the Garden

2010-05-06T16:17:00.008-04:00

I have a solid year under my belt now in terms of vegetable gardening and things are looking much better this spring. I have a few items still in the ground from the winter: two broccoli plants, one brussel sprout and a few rows of Red Russian garlic. The winter was so cold here, I had to rip out a good bit of the cold weather crops like the cabbage since they bolted as soon as it warmed up.

The spring crops went in:

Sweet Georgia onions

Yellow neck squash

Italian black eggplant

Black Tula tomatoes

Sungold cherry tomatoes (a fav hybrid from the local farm stand)

Yellow golden peppers

Tam jalapeno peppers (the jerks that killed my eyeball last fall)

Russet potatoes (started from sprouted pantry taters)

Suko cucumbers

Strawberries (rescued from the Oakhurst Community Garden compost pile)

Soybeans and Blue Lake bush beans

Herb pot and window boxes: lots and lots of basil, sage, sorrel, mint and an attempt at fennel

So, I ran out of room at my place and headed over to Danielle's while she was out of town to install Gwen's Annex Garden. She got a bit of the leftovers from above plus a ton of sunflowers for the girls and the birdies to enjoy.

Enjoy a few pictures. You'll see just how much Tamale loved having Winslow over while I gardened.

If you're missing me, this is where you can find me.

2010-04-15T14:16:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my super duper husband, we now have a place to relax in the sunshine after a long day at work.

Aruba

2010-03-16T20:21:00.004-04:00

Tonight seems like an appropriate night to think back on our recent Aruba trip. A week ago, we were just returning from a four day/three night stay on the lovely isle of Aruba. Tonight, I'm suffering from allergies with a low-grade fever of a 100 degrees (upcoming sinus infection?) and sucking on a freezie pop.

Aruba, on the other hand, was only 90 degrees and SO welcome after this horrible winter we've suffered in Atlanta. When I initially booked the trip, I thought the first weekend in March might be too close to nice weather here. Not so much.

We stayed at the Westin resort and enjoyed our most memorable meal at Passions on the Beach thanks to a recommendation from one of my book clubbers. Greg was impressed with the LED menus and I simply luxuriated in enjoying dinner with sand between my toes.

I have nothing else to report. It was a quick trip to unplug from the daily grind and spend time together. Check.

Click here for pictures.

6-8 inches in Durham

2010-02-03T16:18:00.002-05:00

I recently enjoyed a weekend working in Durham, NC. It snowed. Enjoy some pictures.

Mission: A Homemade Gift

2010-01-14T14:38:00.005-05:00

Greg and I have a tendency to buy prints and then never quite get around to framing them. This was certainly the case with our print purchase from the Shack Up Inn.

I knew exactly what I wanted to make for my man: a rustic frame to evoke memories of our Delta Blues tour.

I called Mr. Fix It himself to share with him my plans and of course to ask for guidance in putting the dang thing together. Dad was game...as he always is for a project even if it means toiling away in his workshop for most of Christmas Eve. He also mentioned that Neil may be able to score us some reclaimed wood from his barn. Sweet. So with the measurements, wood and glass in hand, we set to work. As usual, we ran into a few road bumps along the way but the final product was totally worth it. Check it out.

UnScrooged

2009-12-15T10:04:00.005-05:00

I'm happy to report that the Christmas spirit has finally found its way back to me this year. This morning began with what I would like to call the soundtrack to my childhood Christmases. My trusty Saturn's radio tuned into the Ray Coniff Singer's The Little Drummer Boy medley which always reminds me of my Dad singing along as he sneaks ornaments on all of the light fixtures in the house.

Greg indulged me in another childhood tradition when we ventured off two weeks ago to pick out our best Christmas tree yet at a local tree farm. Oh, and please don't think Greg is trying to strangle poor Winslow in the picture. We just have a photo averse dog.

This weekend, we enjoyed a visit from my parents as well as our Tennessee family. We celebrated Addie's 4th birthday at the American Girl Bistro on Saturday evening. A few of the highlights from the night: meeting Shad for the first time, finding my very own Gwen doll at the store and catching up with the cousins. Enjoy a few snapshots.

I'm looking forward to all the upcoming holiday events we have planned specifically our Festivus For The Rest of Us brunch.

An Experiment in Food

2009-11-24T17:04:00.009-05:00

I know after the sunny fall days are gone all I'm going to be left with are short, grey days and most likely the onset of self-diagnosed seasonal affective disorder aka seasonal depression. After a pretty tough winter in 08, I decided I would give myself a fresh start for 09. My chosen path for better health in mind, body and spirit: raw foods.

My thought process followed the lines of: Hey, this will detox my body and help me feel energized. I should be drinking less caffeine and alcohol any way. So, the weeks went by and I did my research and I devised my plan. I would start by eating two raw meals and one cooked meal. This seemed reasonable. Oh, and I was cutting caffeine completely out and limiting alcohol drastically. I made my meal list (including things like: smoothies, raw cheese, sprouted breads, salads) and ventured off to Kroger and Whole Foods to make my rather expensive purchases. Heck, at this point I thought I could go completely raw by week three.

A recap of Week One:

Day One: I started the day attempting a salt water flush. Look it up if you must. Any-hoo, it didn't work. That was followed by a banana, blueberry and kefer smoothie....meh. Lunch was a huge salad with raw apple cider vinegar and cold pressed olive oil dressing...yums. This was accompanied by a raw miso soup (warmed to 114 degrees) with seaweed, carrots and mushrooms.....disgusting. Needless to say, I was rather discouraged with day one.

The rest of the week encompassed me trying a sprouted hummus (gross) and finally finding my stride with the smoothies and meals. Not to mention the soul crushing caffeine withdrawal headaches.

The beginnings of Week Two:

I've blown the raw foods off a total of three meals thus far. Oh, and there is no way I would be able to fully transition to raw foods. What have I learned so far? Well, the recipes suck and the only physical difference I've noticed overall is better digestion. I'm going to wrap things up later this week because I at least have to eat all the good food I bought.

Oh well.

Family Fun

2009-10-22T10:33:00.007-04:00

GrandPop turned 80 on Saturday, so myself and many, many family members crawled out of the woodwork to celebrate with him. Ahhhhhhh, togetherness!!

On Friday night, we all crammed into the main cabin for our traditional family slide show. The show dated back to 1963 when the family began vacationing in the Poconos at nearby lakes. We were all sitting in the dark laughing hysterically at our shared past. Isn't this what it's all about? My Uncle Nino turned and whispered to my Aunt Karen,"I haven't laughed this hard in 100 years". I'm smiling just thinking about it.

A huge shout out to my Aunt Mary who planned the entire weekend and even included those non-invited stragglers like myself.

PICTURES

Hell Hath Frozen Over

2009-10-13T15:20:00.003-04:00

Greg and I have been together for over 13 years and never once have we done a costume as a couple. This really crushes my soul because Halloween remains my favorite holiday even as an adult. I think even more so as an adult. There are usually no family obligations. It's a chance to be creative and eat lots of chocolate. It also occurs during my favorite time of year. Bonus point.

Back to the Halloween costume rant, GREG HAS AGREED TO DO A COUPLES COSTUME!!!! I'm so excited. Now, you all need to invite us to your Halloween parties and we'll be all set.

Life's a Beach

2009-10-08T09:51:00.003-04:00

Well, at least last weekend that held true. The boys and I headed to the Georgia coast to celebrate year two of wedlock.

This week, not so much. To be completely honest, I'm pissed off at all the rain we've had here. It's stolen my Fall and flooded friends' farms. Guess what? It's supposed to rain all weekend again.

A CliffsNotes Version of September

2009-09-21T11:09:00.006-04:00

Labor Day weekend was spent lounging at the lake with the Clintons. Winslow enjoyed swimming for the first time ever. Mom and Dad came down to help volunteer at the Oakhurst Community Garden. All I have to say is, "Dang you, worm bins!" Click for pictures.

This weekend Greg and I enjoyed visiting with Stacie and her little cutie pie as well as the Chattanooga cousins. Good times!

So long, Sedona.

2009-09-08T16:01:00.006-04:00

It's been a week since I spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend in red rock country with girlfriends. To summarize the trip, we spent each morning with a creek side breakfast followed by hiking, more eating and relaxing at our cabin with wine and good conversation. The breakfast was unanimously voted the best part of the trip. How could we resist a wonderful buffet prepared for us to enjoy in dappled sunlight and hummingbirds flying overhead?

Our inn contained all things wonderful: yoga on the lawn, massages by the creek, sheep nibbling on grass, a lovely swimming hole and a tidy cabin. I will be back.

The most amazing hike I've ever encountered was Red Rocks Crossing followed by swimming and sunning on the rocks. None of us could get over the stunning scenery during our stay in Arizona. We wondered what it would be like to live there...would you take it for granted?

Did we have any complaints? Not many. 1) I'm too old to work most of a day, fly across the country and then drive 2 hours to a destination. 2) Our shower was built with an under 5'5" person in mind. We are tall ladies. 3) One hike landed us in a two inch deep creek with blue crawfish nibbling at Danielle's bottom. Dang you, West Fork Trail for denying us entrance!

Don't you worry, Sedona. I'll see you in a few years. In the meantime, let's all enjoy some pictures!

Ms. Scarlett in the Library with the Candlestick

2009-08-19T21:10:00.006-04:00

I needed to pick up a book on hold at the library last night and I really didn't feel up to driving an entire ten minutes to get it. I just wanted to make a lovely summer pasta salad dinner, enjoy a glass of wine and be done with it. I managed to somehow convince Greg to not only go with me, but also to drive us there. It must be my charm and good cooking.

We arrived to find some strange "goings on" in the parking lot; two teen-aged girls recently had a fight. A cop arrived while we were inside and as we were heading back to the car, we heard one of the girls relaying her version of the fight to him. I told Greg during the ride home that the only thing worse than men fighting was women fighting.

As I was continuing along in Plan B, I realized it was more than just that. Anne describes libraries as sanctuaries,"Libraries are like mountains or meadows or creeks: sacred spaces".
Agreed.

Figs and other thoughts

2009-08-17T15:15:00.006-04:00

This weekend, I planned on going "figging" at a local pick-your-own spot. Due to the recent lack of rain, there were no figs to be had. This is the point in my story where I suddenly remember a fig tree at a nearby office park. Do we dare? Yes, we dared and joined the league of suburban scrumpers.

scrump (v.) to steal fruit, especially apples, from a garden or orchard

I made a reasonably yummy fig tart with our spoils. We've since gotten an inch or so of rain here so maybe I can get some legit figs soon.

On another note, I began reading Anne Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. I love her. Seriously, when I read her books (stick to her nonfiction) I feel as though I've reconnected with an old friend.

Touring the Delta

2009-08-03T15:03:00.011-04:00

Greg put a trip to Memphis on his birthday list this year and as you well know, I’m game for travelling of all sorts. He’s been getting into the blues genre the past few years so a Delta Blues Tour was an order.

Day One – A Surprise for Greg
We drove 6 hours through genetically modified fields of cotton, corn and rice to reach our destination. In my research, I stumbled upon The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi in the heart of the delta. When I found the inn, I knew we HAD to go there and when I found out that it was only an hour away from Memphis the reservation was made. We stayed in the Fullilove shack and enjoyed sipping brews from the front porch and watching the sun set on the tin cotton gin. We ate dinner at Rust, made friends with a local couple at the table next to us and even enjoyed chatting with the owner/chef. Our new friends told us to head to a local diner for breakfast the next morning where we were told to tell the owner that the “CIA sent us”. Can I tell you how much I love the people of Clarksdale?? Dinner was followed by listening to open mic/jam night at Ground Zero in addition to a few more beers. We bumped into a crew of fellow Shack guests all around Clarksdale and one of their recommendations was Graceland Too on our drive back home. After a few people mentioned that at moments they didn't know if they would make it out alive…we decided to pass on that one. Off to Memphis!
Day Two- Memphis
We began our Memphis visit with a tour of Stax Records. It's a great tour if you love gospel, blues and soul music which was followed by a late lunch at Blues City Café on Beale Street. After a couple of cocktails, we headed to the Westin to relax a bit and it was at that point I decided I need Westin’s Blue Marvel channel at home. I digress. Back to Beale Street for dinner and more beverages!

Day Three- Greg’s Birthday
Our second day in Memphis consisted of touring the Gibson Guitar Factory and Sun Studio. We loved them both. We later ventured out of the touristy area to Midtown for lunch and then to the burbs to see some Memphis babes. It was wonderful to catch up with Laura and to finally see the twins! We took Mama Hoffman out on the town to celebrate Greg’s birthday with sushi and Booya’s. Good times. After cake, the birthday boy and I then headed back into town to experience Ernestine and Hazel’s. I love a place with an excellent jukebox, cold beers and a lot of history regardless if I end up smelling like a soul burger by the end of the night.

Day Four- The Return
Before we left town, we hit up Brother Juniper’s for a very filling and very yummy brunch. It was featured in Rachel Ray’s $40 A Day book/show which reminded me to pull out my copy for my upcoming trip to Sedona.

I hope my hubby enjoyed his birthday trip as much as I did. Enjoy some pictures, ya’ll!

Blueberry business

2009-07-17T11:16:00.006-04:00

Last weekend was my yearly trip up to Berry Patch Farms to pick all the blueberries I can in the 90 degree heat. I managed to pick a little over 2 quarts and had the hopes of preserving my first harvest with my new canning equipment. This weekend, we're heading to the Georgia mountians for a relaxing weekend away and I'm hoping to sample my first batch of preserves. Last night, I made a Blueberry Boy Bait Cake. I mean, how can you not want to try a recipe with a name like that? It almost made me swoon. Needless to say, it will be joining us at the cabin this weekend.

Garden highlights

2009-07-07T13:55:00.003-04:00

I think my favorite moment in the garden so far this season was finding this renegade tomato plant. I was taking a look at the lemon balm that has so invasively taken over the area surrounding our deck and lo and behold: a tomato plant! I don't know where he came from, but I am happy he found a home there.

I've updated my 2009 Garden set as well. Enjoy!

Stay-cation 2009: update

2009-07-02T13:26:00.005-04:00

This week has gotten away from me a little and I've been meaning to crank out a post or two. So far, I've balanced errands and chores well with things I love like gardening, reading and yoga.

Tuesday was an action-packed day that began with coffee and a bagel and ended with an evening with friends. I ventured to Serenbe Farms to practice yoga with Stephanie followed by lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy. We rushed off to meet Farmer Brandon who took time out of his busy day to show us around the organic farm and answer all of my harebrained "farming" questions. I was also coerced into trying an electric button. I spent my first few moments on the farm spitting every few seconds. Charming!

Eventually, Farmer Brandon had to head back to what he does best: farming. Steph and I left to explore open houses in the Serenbe Community. I managed to find a perfect home for Greg and Gwen along the way. It's a modern house with clean lines, exquisite details and a porch that just keeps on going. Now, if only we could afford the sucker and move it to a quiet stitch of land where there is more room for me to putter about the yard.

Enjoy pictures from my day trip and hopefully there will be a Gwen Garden update soon!

She's crafty

2009-06-22T10:46:00.006-04:00

This project started when I saw a cute display at the Indie Craft Experience and I thought....I can do that!

I have all these awesome necklaces and I hardly wear any of them because they're all jumbled up in my jewelry box.

Items needed:
Thrift store picture frame
Drill
Hooks
20 minutes of your time

P.S. - If you click the link for ICE, you can see a bum shot of me as I was painting a T-shirt at the fair in 2008. Nice!

Beer

2009-06-15T15:38:00.005-04:00

How can you beat an afternoon at the zoo with lots of friends, fun and beer? And otters. Did I mention the otters?

Fantastic.

I only wish I knew that they were closing the animal exhibits at their normal closing time so that I could have shown my man around the zoo some more.

A few more pictures.

A little regrouping

2009-06-09T16:05:00.006-04:00

I think I'm finally catching up here. After months of work stress for the both of us and no sleep thanks to my scared-shit-less-of-thunderstorms dog, I believe I'm settling in a better place. I could be wrong, but I'm hoping.

Last weekend, I ran away with some lady friends to frolic in the (rainy) forest and reflect on life as I know it. I also managed to get some major trashy vampire novel reading in thanks to all the rain. If you take the skeeters out of the equation, it was *almost* a day at the beach. Click here for pictures.

Today, the W Hotel delivered our Heavenly Bed with feather bed pillow topper. I....CAN...NOT....WAIT to get home tonight and get in my new king-sized upgrade. Hello, sleep. I've missed you.

I know.

2009-06-02T09:19:00.001-04:00

I'm even boring myself here. I'm worried Facebook has killed my blog.

A fine line

2009-04-19T15:07:00.002-04:00

It's been almost a month since I've posted and I have to wonder: has too much happened in that time or just nothing that moved me to get on here and post? I'm going to go with too much.

The most consuming project in the past few weeks has been the garden. Mom and Dad helped to install window boxes and raised cedar beds at the end of March. Tomatoes and peppers have been quietly growing in the basement under lights. Plans have been churning in my mind as the weather slowly warms here.

I have tomorrow off and I plan to get the majority of the garden started outdoors. Go me.

Check out the most recent pictures!

Reconnecting

2009-03-23T13:44:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy two weeks, but I certainly feel more grounded and connected to the people and places surrounding me.

Last week, I took a half day from work and journeyed up to Chattanooga to play some major catch up with Stacie and the Sebes crew. I met Grant for the first time and spent the evening and a good portion of Saturday with all of the Sebes gals. Then, I hopped back in the trusty Saturn and made it back to Atlanta in time to celebrate the second shower of the day with the Greenville folks. PICTURES

This weekend was spent indulging my garden nerd. I attended the 2009 Georgia Organics conference and really, really enjoyed it. I took a farm tour, sat in on victory garden sessions, absorbed the Spring Equinox and met many wonderful people. PICTURES

I can't wait for Turk and Doris to head down this weekend for more family and garden fun!!!

Hold up and wait and minute

2009-03-09T12:50:00.026-04:00

Jamaica was excellent. Click here for more pictures.

Waiting for spring

2009-02-13T15:28:00.005-05:00

My heirloom seeds have arrived. I just need to gather the necessary equipment from my mom to get these suckers started in a few weeks.

***THEN***

We build a raised garden bed and you all have to listen to my garden nerdly-ness.

The good news and the bad

2009-01-27T11:19:00.007-05:00

Good News:

My wonderful husband is taking me to Jamaica to celebrate my upcoming 30th birthday.

Bad News:

I can no longer eat fried food. My nearly thirty-year-old stomach can't hang any more.

Wowzers!!

2009-01-20T10:11:00.006-05:00

This recipe is from angry chicken. She's my current girl crush at the moment. I made this for dinner last night and we devoured it. The recipe reminds me of a chipped beef dinner my mom used to make and now I have a suitable vegetarian option.
It made the entire house smell so good and looked so lovely when served with a side salad. This is an excellent winter comfort food and only took 15 minutes to prepare. It doesn't get much better than that!

Proof I've still got it

2009-01-12T10:41:00.004-05:00

Yep. I can still babysit with the best of them! After 15 or so years of neglect, my babysitting skills remain intact. Both Elliana and Tamale succumbed to my mad nap-inducing tactics while we all lounged on the couch.

Attempt # 500124

2008-12-29T14:36:00.002-05:00

The kitties are trying to defrost my stone-cold heart. Nice try.

Dear Santa,

2008-12-15T16:47:00.008-05:00

I ask that you defrost my bah humbug heart.

Love,

Gwen

Attempts to cultivate the Christmas spirit:

Went to a tree farm to cut down a tree with Greg and Winslow

Decorated the tree to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the movie

Christmas shopping: completed

Watched: Scrooged, Santa Clause 2
Baked Doris's famous Pistachio Cookies

Planned the office holiday party and participated in our Adopt-A-Family

Blared Christmas carols (currently and while baking)

Wrapped presents for the Christmas Destroyers to attack and open

I'm also running low on Christmas Card Karma according to Real Simple. Too many cards with imprinted signatures...

Any sure-fire ways to spark the Christmas spirit?

Next year, I'm thinking Festivus.

Gratitude

2008-12-01T18:00:00.004-05:00

Last month, I began a Gratitude Journal in hopes of regaining a part of myself that I recently felt as though it was slipping away from me. Each night - minus two rowdy evenings spent in the mountains- I wrote down three things that I felt grateful for experiencing. I decided to focus more on the day-to-day ideas that passed through my mind rather than the more obvious ones like good health, a wonderful husband and family, etc. I will always be grateful for such things.
I have to say, ending my day in this manner was truly refreshing. Instead of mulling over conversations from work or life worries, I was actively thinking of all (or at least three) things that I was happy to recall and jot down. Now that December is here, I've decided to continue this nightly ritual.
Please enjoy a few snippets.

Today, I'm grateful for....

...soft, clean sheets.
...alone time.
...leaves swirling in the wind.
...a good friend, a good beer and a sunny patio.
...making the most of a day.
...not rushing.
...crisp walks at night with the smell of a fire burning in the air.
...encouragement from those who know you and even those who don't.
...people who like to talk about books.
...a clean house.

Am I an antique already?

2008-11-18T13:18:00.004-05:00

I was wandering the aisels of a local antique mall recently and I spotted an "antique" doll cradle almost identical to one I had growing up. To be honest, it freaked me out a little. Am I that old???? Where is MY cradle???? I immediately called my mom to find out if mine was still lurking somewhere in the attic at home. That evening I received a voicemail from my dad confirming its location. Phew! God knows what I would do if my doll cradle went missing. I might just have to buy the one I stumbled upon.

Fall, I celebrate you.

2008-11-03T13:53:00.005-05:00

I love Halloween. What is better than playing dress up and taking candy from strangers? Well, winning a costume contest for my awesome interpretation of a pink flamingo is a start.

I made some insanely tasty iced pumpkin cookies. I ate them by a bonfire. Jealous, yet? You should be.

A week off in review

2008-10-23T16:38:00.007-04:00

Hiked with Winslow.

Expanded the mailbox flower bed.

Camped with Neil and Lindsey.

Good for my Soul

2008-10-09T09:54:00.004-04:00

Sometimes life just gets you down. It happens. When it happens to me, I have several ways to fight back and I thought I would share one of them with you.
I turn on the tube, find a channel running America's Funniest Home Videos and sit back to get my funny on. It's scientifically proven that laughing improves your mood by releasing endorphins. Just think what deep, guttural laughing can do for you!
I thought back on my favorite video and after much deliberation, I decided on this one:
Banana Shock

P.S. Let's celebrate my 100th post!

Just the Two of Us....and Winslow

2008-09-29T15:14:00.004-04:00

Greg and I celebrate a year of wedded bliss today. A collective "Awww", please.

We spent Saturday night in the North Georgia mountains camping with the pup. It was so nice to get away from everything. We sat by the campfire for hours sipping red wine. I even read aloud a few of David Sedaris's short stories to entertain my man.

It was a splendidly uneventful trip. Enjoy a peek here.

Does this make you cringe?

2008-09-22T14:35:00.002-04:00

I forgot my canvas totes at home.
-signed Earth Killer

Bikes and Butterflies

2008-09-17T14:48:00.003-04:00

We spent a wonderful weekend near the Alabama-Georgia border with my parents and Winslow. I know I'm speaking only for myself when I say it was relaxing. I spent the weekend taking Winslow on walks through Callaway Gardens, visiting historic sites and whiling away the afternoon at the pool. Greg spent most of the weekend atop his road bike.

Enjoy some pictures from the weekend!

Recent Travels

2008-09-09T11:54:00.006-04:00

I've been fortunate enough to get to do a little travelling these days in hopes of getting myself away from the daily grind. I attended a work conference the last week in August in St. Pete. I stayed at the historic Vinoy hotel and I even managed a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney during the conference. Greg joined me towards the end of the week and we enjoyed some quality time with Grandpa in New Port Richey.

This weekend I ran away with Maigh to the Georgia low country. Luckily, Hanna decided to leave us alone so we could explore Cumberland Island with all its mosquitoes, biting flies and lovely scenery. Our snugly cottage provided us with a quiet place to reflect and an escape from all our worries for a short while. I'm lucky to have friends still willing to indulge my sense of adventure and a husband that understands sometimes the girls just need to get away!

Enjoy a photo travel journal from St. Pete with Greg and the GA coast with Maigh.

I bring you The Basement

2008-09-02T10:52:00.007-04:00

Click the title to view more pictures from the project. I'm still missing a few from the framing stage. Oh well.

Birthday pizza

2008-08-14T15:52:00.006-04:00

Just in case you were wondering what a 30-inch pizza looks like, here you go. Thirty inches of birthday pizza for my thirty-year old husband.

I'm working on getting the pictures together from the Basement Project. Not an easy task since we used three different cameras to capture the progress and one of them doesn't even belong to us! Stay tuned.

Happy 30th Birthday, Greg!

2008-08-01T10:04:00.001-04:00

Dear Basement,

2008-07-14T11:00:00.004-04:00

You are killing me.

For what feels like the millionth weekend in a row, I spent 97% of my time toiling away in the bowels of our home. I can’t deny that my Dad has spent equally as much or perhaps even more time working away on the room that will eventually house man things like music-making devices, gaming systems, and a projector.

I just don’t know how he does it. I mean, he’s nearly twice my age and is totally kicking my butt when it comes to work stamina. Add to the fact, he’s driving two and a half hours each way to enjoy a weekend of basement bonding with his daughter.

This weekend included priming, painting, some more electrical work and hanging doors. The highlight of the weekend for me was strapping two doors to the roof of my Saturn while a third door hung out from the hatchback. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies.

Water, Fire and Drywall

2008-07-07T13:15:00.006-04:00

It's been a busy week in these parts. First, we had a slow waterline leak to address. Follow that by a weekend highlighted with veggie burgers and wheelbarrows filled to the brim with fireworks. We think Winslow was a little depressed on Sunday night since he didn't have a party to attend and sport his American flag bandito.

Today, the drywall contractor is in the basement mudding away. Paint chips and cork flooring samples line the counter tops in preparation for the Basement Grand Reveal in honor of Greg's 30th birthday next month.

I hope to post pictures of the progress in the basement soon. Sheesh! It's consumed most of our summer!

I bring you pictures

2008-06-19T16:03:00.007-04:00

Please enjoy. I'll add more once the other shutterbugs send me their documentation of the weekend.

Stephanie's

Ashley's

Primed For Peckerwood

2008-06-11T10:40:00.005-04:00

It's not even lunchtime yet and I already have vacation brain. Greg and his crew of man-friends from high school are all in the process of turning 30 this summer. Luckily, all of their young wives planned a long weekend retreat for all to enjoy at the aptly-named Peckerwood Lodge. Nestled on 23 acres near Peckerwood Lake with 7,000 square feet of party space, I simply cannot wait to spend time with old friends and even a few new faces.

I'm So Proud of Myself

2008-06-09T13:33:00.005-04:00

I'm echoing the words of my four-year old neighbor.

While many of my friends have spent the spring growing babies, I am happy to report some small successes in my herb growing adventure. You may remember the Spring Science Project post.

Despite my odd seedling propagation techniques that made me the laughing stock of the "Green Thumb Side of the Family"; I have a lovely pot of herbs.

I Heart Maine

2008-05-19T13:13:00.006-04:00

Maine is one of those places I've wanted to visit forever and ever. It's on The List. Thankfully, Danielle is from Maine and I managed to tag along on her recent trip home to celebrate her recovery and to attend her baby shower.

We were there for three short days, but we managed to eat lots of seafood, do plenty of shopping, see the sights and visit those near and dear to Danielle.

Please enjoy some tid-bits from the weekend:

"First we pray for health and then we pray for girls." - Chelsea

"I think we left the maple syrup at the Y." - Mike

"I feel like I'm talking to bin Laden every night." - Paul

"I love her even if I have to call her Mudpie." - Diane

See pictures here.

Happy Earth Day, friends.

2008-04-22T19:16:00.004-04:00

In celebration of Earth Day, I will share a little ditty about Nature and the burb I call home. A few weeks ago, Greg was taking Winslow out for his constitutional in the backyard when Winslow sprang from his haunches towards the remaining woods behind our house. Greg had seen something moving about in the woods, but figured it was one of the usual suspects like a bunny, bird, or squirrel. It was only after tearing through the woods with Winslow far ahead of him that Greg stood face to face with the object of Winslow's fixation. It was not just one deer, but four deer standing not far from the two of them. The quartet looked stood frozen because they were just chased by a Man and his Dog. They had come to the end of the line. The main drag through this part of the burbs surrounded the deer which left them with no place to run.
The two returned home to share the story (Greg) and some bramble scratches (Winslow) from their recent brush with Nature.

The List

2008-03-31T16:48:00.002-04:00

I have several friends that have life lists they share and some that have lists that they keep privately in their squirrelly minds. I've been meaning to post my list not really to impress or bore you....I just feel like I need to put it out into the universe.

Here we go.

On Going Goals
Find a passion and purpose that gets me out of bed in the morning with a smile on my face. No small feat there.
Travel lots and lots (see list three)
Reduce my environmental impact
Be present
Practice yoga more

Specific Goals
Have a snuggle bug cabin in the woods
Cultivate an amazing garden
Start a family of sorts
Work on my writing skills
Grow old gracefully

Travel Goals
Italy
Greece
Maine
Alaska
The UK and Ireland
France
Spain
Australia
Oregon
The Len Foote Hike Inn
New England in the Fall
Vancouver
Camping with Greg and Winslow in the woods

Spring Science Project

2008-03-23T17:15:00.005-04:00

Walking through my local home improvement store last weekend, I could not resist the call of Spring any longer. I shelled out ten bucks to set myself up with a mini-greenhouse and a small selection of seeds.

I chose:
Spicy Globe Basil- my all time fav herb
Fernleaf Dill- Greg's all time fav herb
and
Catnip- because you can't leave the kitties out when it comes to fav herbs

I filled my little petrified soil pods with water and watched them expand. Then, I coded toothpicks so each seedling friend could be identified later. I dropped several seeds into each pod and wished them well.
A week later, I have results. I've researched various techniques on how to keep my little friends happy as they make their journey from greenhouse pod plants to -hopefully- my herb garden in a few weeks. Heck, if enough of them make it I can give some away to friends or even sell the leftovers at our neighborhood garage sale. Organic basil anyone?
In another totally Suzie Homemaker move today, I set up a clothes line in our backyard. I'm currently enjoying watching some towels blow in the breeze in complete noncompliance to HOA rules. I plan on only putting it up when I use it and once the trees fill in, I doubt anyone but us will see it. Hey, I'm just trying to save the earth here and relish a simple pleasure. We'll see out it all plays out....

Hmmmmm.....

2008-03-12T20:08:00.002-04:00

I came home from work today to find a letter and a membership application from AARP. I just have to ask you: Has anyone else gotten one of these? I know I'm getting older by the day now, but I'm pretty sure I have a good twenty years until I meet their membership requirements. I'm tempted to call them and find out how the heck I ended up on their mailing list.

Holy Enchiladas!

2008-03-11T10:22:00.003-04:00

I'm been in a real Suzie Homemaker mood lately. I'm chalking it up to Spring. I've done an overhaul on our closet, managed to score a new dining room set from the wedding fund and started planning my garden adventures for 2008.
As you may know, Danielle underwent major surgery a few weeks ago to have a marble-sized tumor removed from her spine. She and baby are doing very well. I've taken it upon myself to make sure I keep them well fed in the coming weeks. This brings me to the best new recipe I've adapted recently.

White Bean Enchiladas with Verde Sauce
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 cans white beans (Great Northern or Navy)
2 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 onion
12 small to medium tortillas
24 oz. of sour cream
8 oz. canned green chilies
1 tsp. ground cumin
***Makes a double batch

Preheat the oven to 350. Puree green chilies and 1/4 onion in food processor. Add sour cream and cumin to the sauce. Line baking dish with 1/4 sauce.
Assemble enchiladas with beans, remaining onion and cheese. Place in them in the dish seam side down. Spoon another 1/4 of the sauce on top to cover and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake for 30 min and serve with Spanish rice. Enjoy!!!

I make one for immediate consumption and one to freeze. Susie Homemaker recommends the same.

A Little Spring Makeover

2008-03-10T12:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a little gentle nudging from Miss Maigh. I hope to post again soon.

Birthday + Sunshine = A Happier Gwen

2008-02-25T13:28:00.006-05:00

I'm happy to report that like a six-year old you can simply tell me it's my birthday and let me play in the sunshine and I automatically feel better. Greg and I headed up to the North Georgia mountains to soak up some views and vino.
I have to give major props to The Beechwood Inn and Tiger Mountain Vineyards for their wonderful southern hospitality and rustic charm.
Click on the title to get a picture report of Saturday.

I can't shake it. I've been a grump.

2008-02-20T13:29:00.003-05:00

Winds of Change

2008-02-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that in the past few days I've gotten a bit caught up in the Super Tuesday drama. Don't worry. I'm not about to climb up on a soapbox and begin a political tirade. I just want to share with you my excitement concerning the general election process. As I drove home from work last night, I saw a family at an intersection holding up a campaign sign. They were smiling and waving and having a wonderful time. It made me smile and even brought a few tears to my eyes.
I remember going to the polls with my mom years ago when there were still curtains involved. Voting was so grown up and there was such a mystic to it. I think that's why I hold voting to still be such a privilege despite many people's cries that they feel as though their votes don't count.
You can only image the excitement going on in my place of work today. One of my coworkers took Wednesday off so he could stay up late tonight and watch the returns. See? And you thought I was a nerd for welling up at the sight of a campaigning family.
Go on and get out there!

Outta Control

2008-01-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

I just have to share. I took Pinochle to get microchipped this weekend. As we rode along the highway, she barrel rolled and howled in her little cat bag. It was pathetic. She was acting like a two-year old: laying on her back howling while looking straight at me. Then, she proceeded to mash her face into the side of the bag. I mean-seriously- it was the most entertaining car ride I've had in a while. Does this make me a bad kittty mom? I sure hope not. Don't you worry. Pinochle is just fine even if she would like you all to think otherwise.

I love this stuff

2008-01-18T15:11:00.000-05:00

I used to write down my dreams and interpret them more. I really should get back into the habit again because I feel dreams allow you to be more aware of how you process life and cope with changes. I posted my dream earlier this week because I thought it was strange and I hadn't had such a vivid dream in a while. My interpretation hits home - to me.

Let's begin.

My bigamy suggests I'm having a difficult time making a decision. Evan represents not only harmony, but also all of the feelings I normally associate with him: Greg and I danced to his song Hard Drive at our wedding.

The beach setting and indigo storm cloud symbolize unknown changes in my life and struggling with fear and confusion. The fact that I found safety from the storm indicates these problems will blow over quickly. The water slide constructed of metal and blue tarps illustrates my optimism and strength of character. Sliding down the water slide represents feeling swept away by my emotions while still going with the flow. The tarps in the splash pool at first inspired fear, but eventually left me with feelings of comfort as I found myself in the company of loved ones again.

I find all of this incredibly humbling. My brain is working through things I barely feel on the surface of my daily life.

I'm Bigamist on a Water Slide

2008-01-16T17:17:00.000-05:00

Okay. I had this crazy dream last night and why not post it to jazz things up on here? I'm thinking I'll post the dream today and do a little dream interpreting tomorrow?
I'm on a beach and I suddenly realize that I'm married to Greg AND Evan Dando. I'm thinking, How did this happen? Someone nearby pointed out that since Evan was at my wedding and stood up there with me and Greg- we're married. I have a flashback -in my dream- of Evan at the wedding and I think, Yep. I guess you're right. I wonder what Greg thinks about all of this?
A big, indigo-colored storm cloud rolls in and I know I need to get the heck off that beach and to safety. As it turns out, the route to safety is a huge water slide that I have to climb up. It's made from blue tarps and metal pipes. Real safe. I'm kind of freaking out, but I'm having a pretty good time sliding down. At the bottom, the splash pool is full of tarps. I can't seem to get up for air, but just as I begin to freak- everything works out and I'm out of the pool and safe from the storm.
I'm surrounded by friends and family and having a great time talking about the water slide and my new marriage realization.

Winslow!!!

2008-01-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome back and Happy New Year to you! I'm back to the daily grid after a rather short-lived holiday season. Greg and I have found a new friend to share the new year with and hopefully many more to come. Meet Winslow.

I've posted his mugshot from PAWS where we adopted him shortly before Christmas. Would you like to hear his story? He was picked up by Dekalb County Animal Control and placed in a cage with several other big dogs sharing one food bowl. PAWS noticed how skinny he was and figured he was too meek to fight for his grub. They rescued him and brought him to their no-kill animal shelter to find a home. Evidently, Winslow is quite the escape artist. He managed to find his way out of his first family's fenced in yard only to be found 4 days later. The family decided that was enough for them and brought him back to PAWS. We'd been watching their website to find the friend we were hoping to adopt over the holidays. We went to PAWS the Friday before Christmas to "window shop" and walk a few of the pups we had our eyes on. I had no intention of leaving with a dog. We had a dinner date over at a friend's place that evening.

We walked a few of the dogs before we came to Winslow's cage. He came up to us and licked my hand. I melted and asked Greg if he wanted to walk one more. We were both a little saddened by his resemblance to our Zoe, but I figured it was worth a shot. On the walking trail, my eyes filled with tears and I just knew. I knew Winslow needed to come home with us. We called Jen to make sure it was okay to bring along another dinner guest as we filled out the paperwork.

Winslow is adjusting well to his new home with us and the kitties. I've added another picture of him.....he's a little camera shy.

A day in the life

2007-12-20T16:32:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhh..........
That is the sound of my brain, my soul and my body relaxing into the winter break. I have to admit it did not start off this way. I was over 20 minutes late to my extremely overdue haircut appointment today due to massive Atlanta traffic at 10:30 in the morning. I continued to stress myself out by picking up my blackberry to read emails from idiot clients while I spent 12 minutes on an exit ramp. I walked into the salon where I had then significantly stressed my poor stylist out by arriving so late. Luckily, I came bearing Cabernet and chocolates for her.
I spent the remainder of my day listening to Christmas music while I sat by our twinkly tree with two wonderfully warm kitties on my lap. I'm off to see the Santaland Diaries shortly.
What does tomorrow have in store for me? Maybe some recycling and more of the same. Sounds absolutely perfect.
How about you?

The Holidays Are Upon Us

2007-12-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

It was a shock to come back to Atlanta after the cruise. Where were the drives to work in the morning that allowed me to take in all of the fall colors and crisp air? They were gone along with the leaves. It was officially winter and I was not happy about it. Luckily, I had a trip to Helen up my sleeve with the hostel (or hostile) gals AND Greg finally caved into getting a REAL Christmas tree from a tree farm.

The past few weeks have been filled with wintry goodness. Helen is cheesy but if you surround yourself with people who can really appreciate it for what it's worth; it's not so bad. I promise. We made sure our cabin had all the essentials: a hot tub and a fireplace. All you need to complete the equation is a few bottles of red wine and some friends. We managed to hit up a local winery on Saturday to procure some surprisingly good Georgia wine.

The Christmas tree farm was awesome. We drove out to Georgia farmland to The Old Barn Christmas Tree Farm. We chose this farm because I had to have a Virginia Pine. It felt so good to walk the rows of trees looking for "the one". We managed to score some spectacular service and a tree all for less then $30.

Now all I need to do is find gifts to go under it....

Wedding Bells and Tan Lines

2007-11-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Why hello there!

It's been a month since my last post. I'll try and make up for it with good news and a travel report. I just got back for Neil and Lindsey's wedding cruise. The wedding festivities started off in a lovely beach house my parents rented on Folly Beach. This also marks the first time Greg and I have shared a bedroom on a family outing. Very exciting!

As Neil, Mary and I browsed the wine selections for the rehearsal dinner, Neil came up to me and said, "So, We're getting married on Sunday". Thoughts raced through my mind: Why would they do this considering all the people who have traveled to see them off on Saturday? Are they insane?

As it turned out, the cruise line had just called saying the ship was delayed a day due to a medical emergency. The wedding would be on Sunday and our cruise would be cut short a day redirecting our initial port destinations. What did we do? We called family and carried on. We still had the rehearsal dinner that night and the post-wedding reception became an open house for guests on Saturday.

Now, Neil and Lindsey share the same anniversary as my grandparents.

The wedding was short and sweet but certainly not lacking in love.

After a quick reception, we bid our farewells to the rest of the family and Greg. I set sail with my shipmate, Mary, for Nassau. Nassau provided us with a unique opportunity. A rare glimpse inside of Atlantis. It all started with some gambling in the casino where Mary stumbled upon a room key. That room key was the golden ticket into the pools and more importantly the water slides. We laughed like hyenas and cursed like sailors as we were launched down slide after slide. Thank you, Suzette.

The following day we were dropped off on Great Stirrup Cay for beach, sun and drinks.

My favorite port, by far, was Key West. I spent my Thanksgiving Day walking its streets and enjoying every moment of it. We did a tour of Hemingway's home and pet as many poly dactyl cats as we could! We enjoyed a lunch of peel-and-eat shrimp at Sloppy Joe's with some of our fellow mateys. We then found our way to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park for sunset. There, we enjoyed the generosity of a couple celebrating their 5 year wedding anniversary. Nothing says Key West like a sunset champagne celebration with strangers!

Our last day on the ship was cold and windy. Mary and I spent our time catching up on reading and sipping on red wine in our cabin. Our final dinner with the wedding party was savored in the same room Neil and Lindsey were married.

I wish I could say that the cruise ended on a high note such as this. Unfortunately, I spent the entire last night and early morning hours seasick. I was so happy to get to Charleston and back to my life on land!

Click on the title for pictures.

Love Birds

2007-10-25T15:52:00.001-04:00

I've finally had a moment to upload the honeymoon pictures and even add comments to them.

Click here to view our FAB pictures.

Here is an abbreviated travel blip:

We flew into St. Thomas and took the ferry over to St. John where we rented a Jeep. I enjoyed watching Greg navigate the island driving on the left side of the road as I absorbed all of the jungle scenery. He rented an incredible love bungalow with breath taking views. It also had a hot tub for star gazing.

For those of you that don't know: St. John is about 17 square miles and about 3/4 National Park. We rented snorkel equipment and spent most of our days as follows:

Wake up.

Eat breakfast on the deck overlooking Peter Bay.

Pack a cooler filled with lunches and brews.

Head to one of the many National Park beaches.

Come back to the house to clean up and head to "town" for a romantic dinner.

I'll let the rest remain a mystery!

The wildlife on the island was awesome. We swam with sea turtles and rays, saw a mongoose and wild donkeys on the side of the road and counted more lizards and bats than we could imagine. I can't wait to go back!

Happy, happy

2007-10-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

It is so good to be back into the groove of normal life. The wedding was wonderful. It was the single most amazing day of my life. Our honeymoon in St. John was exactly what we wanted: lots of rest and lots of beach! I'll post those pictures soon.

We're plugging through the final details of the wedding like opening gifts and writing thank you notes. Tough, huh?

Last weekend, I went to a corn "maize" in celebration of all of the lovely Fall weather here.

I am thankful for...

2007-09-21T17:52:00.000-04:00

...September weather...being with a man for 11 years who still romances me...friends that throw me panty parties....bosses that let you claim a "mental health" half day after a very long week...kitties that love Friday afternoon naps as much as I do...people sending well wishes to my mum...

Most of all I'm thankful the wedding is just a few days away!

May The Forest Be With You

2007-09-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

Maigh was kind enough to plan a long weekend away from wedding stress, work and pretty much everything. I spent three days with three ladies as we got to know each other and perhaps ourselves a little better.

The hostel welcomed us with a bumpy ride in from the main road as we blared The Pixies. We were quickly introduced to a world of soft sandy paths, screened in bunkhouses, sawdust toilets, outdoor Angel showers, chickens in trees and drinking from jars. I loved it.

We spent our time exploring St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and the grounds of the hostel. We laughed at how our organic wine tasted like "The Dome" and sang along to Indigo Girls songs around the campfire. We made friends with our hippie hosts and spent starlit evenings swimming happily in the lake.

I'm having a hard time retaining the peacefulness I experienced this weekend.

Enjoy some of the snapshots from the weekend: Mine , Kelly's and Maigh's (she was our little shutterbug).

Optimism

2007-09-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you ever explore some of the other blogs and websites I link to on this page. For my daily dose of environmental activism, I head to No Impact Man.

He recently mentioned that, "Optimism is the most radical political act there is".

And I agree. Not only is it an interesting view on political action, but also a wonderful way to live your life. I'm fortunate to have people in my life that lead me to places like this for a long weekend.

Shower Me with Love

2007-08-27T10:42:00.000-04:00

Ashlea and Stacie threw an amazing shower for me last week. I thought I would amuse you with this picture of me reading off my list of "Wedding Night Comments" while wearing my bow bonnet.
Good stuff. This week marks the one month countdown to the wedding!
*Click on the title see more pictures from the shower.

It's official

2007-08-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

Things are moving quickly now.
The invitations are out. The response cards are trickling in.
Greg and I ventured to Asheville again for very official business. Hold up your right hand and swear stuff.

The road well traveled

2007-07-31T17:34:00.000-04:00

Strange Sighting

2007-07-18T12:46:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I was caught in traffic on my drive back home for wedding planning and I spotted this picture on the back of a van. An image of a little kid in a cowboy hat. It really gets your imagination going....Is this child missing? Did he pass away? Are they just proud parents? Are these people just messing with me?
Any other thoughts on this?

A little down time

2007-07-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

I would like to welcome you all to my first Saturday night blog. It didn't start off this way. For once, I had two parties to go to. I had my hair "did" today. I watched as they started to frame a house IN MY BACKYARD. Seriously. We won't get into that right now.
Just for kicks, we'll get into why I'm couch bound. I was walking down our foyer steps with a pasta salad (potluck B-B-Q stop #1) and a Bond Girl costume (07.07.07 celebration stop #2). With so much stuff in my hands, I couldn't see where I was going and completely missed the last step. My ankle did the notorious wibble-wobble and that was that. I downed a pain pill with a glass of vino and ate my pasta salad for dinner. Danielle mentioned that the universe must be telling me that I needed a night alone. And I do. Signing off from the couch...

Rant

2007-06-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

#1 McDonald's melts your brain.

I know this because they recently opened one near our house. I sit at a flashing signal light waiting to find out what direction these people would like to turn after getting their food. One in every ten cars that sits across from me actually puts on a turn signal to indicate "Hey, there other drivers! I'm turning right!". The other nine cars I suspect are chowing down on a Big Mac or are simply intoxicated by the smell of french fries.

# 2 Greg and I are not "Hippies".

We are environmentally and socially aware people. We bathe regularly. We do not wear patchouli or Birkenstocks. We own ipods. We don't listen to the Grateful Dead or drive VW vans. We do love the Earth and -most- of its inhabitants.

My jars are half full

2007-06-11T11:13:00.000-04:00

How about yours?
The days have been filled with wedding planning and talk. We went to Chris and Kristin's couples shower to celebrate with good eats and good company. The strangest thing about the party was running into Ashes, a cockatiel I used to pet sit for over ten years ago. That bird is still rockin'! Oh, and I fell in love with the Hammy Hammock in the backyard. There is nothing better than relaxing after a few beers and watching the trees sway above you.
Sunday was spent sunning under the north Georgia skies. I thank the Reeces for a pleasant afternoon and the privilege of excavating mason jars from their yard.

Mi Vida Loca

2007-06-05T16:55:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have been filled with all kinds of goodness. Farmers' Fresh Foods has been providing the good eats and my friends have filled the days with laughter.

The West End Girls did a wine tasting which always puts me in a good mood. How could it not? Good wine and good company always leaves behind a warm and fuzzy feeling.

We hosted a Bike n' Grill this past weekend for our fellow biker buddies. I should really say Greg's fellow bikers because I simply cruise along enjoying the scenery.

Things are FINALLY falling into place for the wedding. It's about time! For being a planner by trade, I've really slacked at my own wedding planning. I'm ready to put it in high gear these next few months.

As for what I've been reading lately, it's all about food. No joke. I recently finished Barbara Kingsolver's latest book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I just started The Omnivore's Dilemma per Jennifer's comment last month. I'm officially on my way to becoming the biggest food nerd known to man.

Bag 'o plenty

2007-05-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

I've been frequenting the local Farmer's market on Saturday mornings for the past few weeks. I must say, I enjoy the drive into town for a stroll through the booths filling my tote with goodies.

This week was the kick off week for the CSA I joined. I left work a few minutes early to make sure that I didn't miss the pick up window. I was so pleased to get a teaser email detailing this week's bounty: lettuce, new potatoes, cabbage, parsley, Hakurei turnips, strawberries and spring onions. I rushed home and immediately popped a strawberry in my mouth and starting making plans for upcoming feasts. I'm thinking the new potatoes will be a part of Heckman's Famous Potato Salad recipe tonight. Then, maybe some coleslaw for Memorial Day? But what about those Hakurei turnips??? The CSA manager recommended serving them raw with a slice of brie. I'm down. Brie + anything = yummy goodness. I plan on doing a little more research on those turnips since I have half a paper lunch bag full of them! Please post suggestions if you have any.

A Happy Mother's Day to all....

2007-05-13T18:09:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning Greg and I stumbled out of bed at the ripe hour of five forty-five to greet the race particiapants with a t-shirt after the Susan Koman walk/run. Greg's mom passed away from breast cancer 10 years ago this month. Our morning was filled with smiling faces all in line to receive an XL t-shirt from the two of us armed with black permanent markers. As with every breast cancer event we participate in, I'm reminded of the love, grief and hope that connects us all.

My own mother received a personalized e-card from me today similar to the one you see pictured here. I took several around the house and yard only to finally chose one in my front flower bed. I attribute my green thumb to my mother and her side of the family.

I don't think I've ever posted a picture of my two "children". Pinochle is on the left looking off into the distance and Danka is on the right striking her best show cat pose. I took the picture with a tripod off our entrance steps which is my explanation of why the top if my head is missing from the photo.

A weekend of eating

2007-05-07T12:08:00.000-04:00

Goodness there was a lot of eating going on! It all started with a potluck lunch at work. I always leave with a stomach ache from overindulging. We headed straight to the Braves game which included beer, boiled peanuts and a pretzel.

Saturday morning began with a trip to a local farmer's market. This jump started week one of supporting local farms. I picked up some organic yellow grits, another herb for the garden-Sorrel and a bunch of carrots. You can see my bag overflowing with carrot greens! Then, off to Ashlea and Jeff's low country boil. Yum! Good times with old friends.

On Sunday, I must have OD-ed on food because I totally flaked on a brunch date with Danielle and another gal. I never do that. Seriously. I worked off my guilt in the yard. I don't know if it makes up for my bad behavior, but I plan on making a grit casserole with my local grits for her Mother's Day brunch this weekend.

I've been tagged

2007-05-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yep. I've been a blogger for well over a year now and managed to escape the dern memes. Jennifer got me. It's okay. She's the co-creator of the My Boyfriend's Back choreography so I forgive her.

Here are my 7 random facts:

# 1. I love singing along to show theme songs. You should hear me during the opening credits of The Office and Scrubs.

# 2. I think I would make a mighty fine river otter.

# 3. In 3rd grade, our class watched Old Yeller and I had to leave the room because I was crying so hard when it came time to shoot poor old Yeller. I also never finished Where the Red Fern Grows because I heard they shoot the dogs at the end of the book. Let's just say, I'm not a big fan of shooting dogs.

# 4. I haven't eaten meat (seafood on occasion) in 11 years but if I did breakdown it would be an Arby's roast beef sandwich smothered in Arby's sauce.

# 5. I can't sound words out in English. I've memorized every word I know and it drives my mother crazy. I can, however, sound out words in Spanish. Comprende?

# 6. I knew a girl who kept a booger collection in empty jewelry boxes.

# 7. I love living in the 'burbs.

Oh yeah...I'm gonna tag some of you fellow bloggers out there!

Earth Day Craze

2007-04-30T20:45:00.000-04:00

Okay. Evidently you've been wondering what I've been up to this month. Yeah, sorry about that. Work has been nutty, we did a little wedding planning and I came down with a case of the nasties....sinus stuff.
What has been dominating my thoughts lately? The impact my lifestyle has on this planet. Greg and I have tried very hard over the years to have as little negative impact as possible. Not that we're perfect by any means, we no longer carpool and it's taken a year and a half to find a recycling center near our new house. Thanks, Meredith!
My latest fascination has been with supporting local farms and reducing the mileage between our food sources and our kitchen table. I'm reading Plenty: One Man and One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally. It just came out last week and it has certainly has peaked my interest. I've done a little investigating about local farms and came across the following website. As it turns out, I can pick up a bag of locally grown produce and eggs once a week during the growing season. It's not the cheapest thing in the world, but until I can grow more than a herb garden and a few tomato plants in my yard; it will do. If you're inspired, you should check it out. I'll keep you posted on our attempt at doing more local eating! Bon appetit.

Sensory Overload

2007-04-05T20:34:00.000-04:00

The other night, after a long day of working late I went outside on our deck to enjoy a beer alone. Greg was inside playing a very loud video game and after dealing with the public all day long...I needed some time alone. I sat out there and it reminded me of the last time we went camping. The evening was dank with a recent rain and the quiet solitude was comforting.
I looked up into the Georgia pines and saw something flashing. An airplane? No. It was the appearance of the season's first fireflies. I soaked up the woods and all they had to offer....little did I know what the next day had in store for me. Both of those experiences reminded me of how lucky I am.